Early life

Thomas William Hiddleston was born on 9 February 1981 in Westminster, London,[1] the son of Diana Patricia (née Servaes) Hiddleston, an arts administrator and former stage manager, and James Norman Hiddleston, a physical chemist.[2] His father is from Greenock, Scotland[3] and his mother is from Suffolk.[4] His younger sister, Emma, is also an actress, whilst his older sister, Sarah, is a journalist in India.[5] Through his mother, he is a great-grandson of Vice Admiral Reginald Servaes and a great-great-grandson of food producer Sir Edmund Vestey.[6]

Hiddleston was raised in Wimbledon in his early years, and later moved to a village near Oxford.[4] He started boarding at Windlesham House School at the age of seven, moving to the Dragon School in Oxford a year later.[7][8] His parents divorced when he was 12.[9] When discussing his parents' divorce in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, he stated: "I like to think it made me more compassionate in my understanding of human frailty."[10]

2011–2014: Career breakthrough

Hiddleston is well known for his portrayal of Loki in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Thor. He was invited to audition by Kenneth Branagh, the film's director, after having previously worked with Branagh on Ivanov and Wallander. Hiddleston said of Branagh, "Ken has had a life-changing effect. He was able to say to the executives, 'Trust me on this, you can cast Tom and he will deliver'. It was massive and it's completely changed the course of what is available to me to do. Ken gave me my break."[23] In the beginning, he originally auditioned for the part of Thor. "I initially auditioned to play Thor. That was what I was being considered for, because I'm tall and blonde and classically trained, and that seemed to be the mold for what Thor was, he was to be a classical character. And it was in my auditions. I owe this entirely to Marvel and their open-mindedness, they saw something that they thought was interesting. They saw some temperament that they liked."[24] The casting director gave Hiddleston six weeks to bulk up, so he went on a strict diet and gained twenty pounds of muscle.[25] In the end, Branagh decided he was more suitable as the antagonist and cast him as Loki. The film magazine Empire ranked Hiddleston's portrayal as Loki the 19th Greatest Movie Character of All Time.[26]

In 2011, Hiddleston portrayed novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald in writer-director Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. He then played the noble Captain Nicholls in War Horse, a film based on the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo, directed by Steven Spielberg. The same year he starred as Freddie Page, a RAF pilot in the drama The Deep Blue Sea, alongside Rachel Weisz. In 2012, he reprised his role as the supervillain Loki in The Avengers. While filming a scene with Chris Hemsworth, who plays Thor, the film's director, Joss Whedon told the fighting duo that the scene did not look real enough, so Hiddleston told Hemsworth to really hit him for the fight scene. "I said to Chris, 'Dude, just hit me. Just hit me because I'm protected here and it's fine.' He's like, 'Are you sure?' I was like, 'Yeah, it will look great. Just go for it.'"[28] He provided the voiceover the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead in 2011 and poetry for iF Poems and The Love Book on iTunes in 2012.[29][30]

In January 2014, Hiddleston became a spokesperson for Jaguar Cars in their "Good to be Bad" ad campaign featuring British actors in villain-themed commercials to promote Jaguars new models.[43] The first commercial of the campaign, titled "Rendezvous", first aired during the 2014 Super Bowl and featured Hiddleston along with Mark Strong and Ben Kingsley.[44][45]

In April 2014, Hiddleston starred in another commercial in the campaign, titled "The Art of Villainy". It was released on YouTube, promoting the F-Type coupe. However, the Advertising Standards Authority received complaints about the video "encouraging irresponsible driving". Jaguar Land Rover said that in the ad, when the car did leave the car park, it "accelerated briefly" and that police were present at filming to confirm the speed limit was not breached but the ASA ruled against it and banned the commercial.[46]

Personal life, charity work and media image

Hiddleston lives in the Belsize Park area of north-west London.[61][62] He was one of the celebrities (alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, E. L. James and Rachel Riley, among others) to design and sign his own card for the UK-based charity the Thomas Coram Foundation for Children. The campaign was launched by crafting company Stampin' Up! UK and the cards were auctioned off on eBay during May 2014.[63] He is a UK ambassador of the humanitarian and developmental assistance fund group UNICEF. He travelled to Guinea in early 2013 to help women and children and raise awareness about hunger and malnutrition,[64] and to South Sudan in early 2015 and late 2016 to report the results of the ongoing civil war on the lives of vast numbers of children across the country.[65] Hiddleston is a self-described feminist.[66] In February 2018 he was named as one of the donators by Justice and Equality Fund, the UK version of Time's Up movement.[67] He is also an ambassador of the Illuminating BAFTA campaign, an action which aims to provide opportunities to those who otherwise wouldn’t have been given a chance in the film, games and television industries.[68]

Hiddleston won the light-hearted UK award Rear of the Year 2016, in which the public nominate the male and female UK-based celebrities that they think should win the titular award.[73] In 2015 he was named British Film Institute's first official founding ambassador.[74] One of the highest profile actors in contemporary British popular culture, Hiddleston appeared on Debrett's 2017 list of the most influential people in the UK.[75]

1.
Tom Huddlestone
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Thomas Andrew Tom Huddlestone is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Hull City. Having progressed through the ranks at Nottingham Forest and Derby County. He quickly broke into the first team, and made 88 league appearances before switching to Tottenham Hotspur in 2005, however, he struggled with injury problems during the 2011–12 season, and fell out of favour. He joined current club Hull City in August 2013, having made 144 league appearances for Tottenham, Huddlestone represented England at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-20 levels before making his under-21 debut in 2005. He was a regular for the side between 2005 and 2009, and made 33 appearances. He made senior full England debut in 2009, and has gone on to make three further appearances. Born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Huddlestone was taken on by Nottingham Forest at an age but was released at 12 as he was claimed to be not strong enough. He was given his debut by George Burley at the age of 16 on the opening day of the 2003–04 season in a 3–0 home defeat to Stoke City. Though Derby struggled in Huddlestones first full season, Huddlestone was one of Derbys few bright points, as a young player, he the best passer of a ball I ever seen, and Ive worked with some good young players. He eventually went on to appear in 43 of Derbys 46 league games that season and he enjoyed an equally successful 2004–05 as Derby reached the Football League Division One playoffs, where they lost to Preston North End in the semi-final. He left Pride Park with 95 appearances to his name and his first start for Tottenham came on 14 September 2006, away to Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup, a game which Tottenham won 1–0. His first goal for Tottenham came in the League Cup fourth round match against Port Vale on 8 November 2006, Huddlestone scored two goals in this match, his second goal proving decisive in extra time, taking Tottenham through to the quarter-final of the competition. On 25 December 2006, he signed a new four and a half-year contract – keeping him at the club until 2011, Tom signed a new and improved five-year contract on 30 June 2008 committing his future to Tottenham until 2013. He came on as a substitute as Tottenham beat Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, during the 2009–10 season, he became a regular under Harry Redknapp. In March 2010, he extended his contract until 2015, Huddlestone was plagued with injury during the 2011–12 season and managed only four appearances for the club. Huddlestone returned for the 2012/13 season and made his first appearance as a substitute for Jermaine Defoe against Norwich City on 1 September 2012 and he was shown a red card for serious foul play, the match ended in a disappointing 1–1 draw. The red card was later rescinded, on 14 August 2013, Huddlestone moved to Hull City for an undisclosed fee believed to be about £5.25 million. He made his debut on the first day of the 2013–14 season when he came off the bench in a 2–0 loss away at Chelsea, on 28 December, he scored his first goal for Hull in a 6–0 home win against Fulham, his first goal since April 2011

2.
Westminster
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Westminster is an area of central London within the City of Westminster, part of the West End, on the north bank of the River Thames. Historically the area lay within St Margarets parish, City & Liberty of Westminster and it has been the home of the permanent institutions of Englands government continuously since about 1200 and is now the seat of British government. In a government context, Westminster often refers to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the closest tube stations are Westminster, St Jamess Park on the Jubilee, Circle, and District lines. Within the area is Westminster School, a public school which grew out of the Abbey. Bounding Westminster to the north is Green Park, a Royal Park of London, the area has a substantial resident population, indeed most of its listed buildings are residential. A proportion of residents are people of limited means, living in council, hotels, large Victorian homes and barracks exist nearer to Buckingham Palace. The name describes an area no more than 1 mile from Westminster Abbey, the settlement grew up around the palace and abbey, as a service area for them. The need for a church, St Margarets Westminster for the servants of the palace. It became larger and in the Georgian period became connected through urban development with the City along the Strand. It did not become a local government unit until created as a civil parish. Indeed, the Cathedral and diocesan status of the church lasted only from 1539 to 1556, as such it is first known to have had two Members of Parliament in 1545 as a new Parliamentary Borough, centuries after the City of London and Southwark were enfranchised. The historic core of Westminster is the former Thorney Island on which Westminster Abbey was built, the abbey became the traditional venue of the coronation of the kings and queens of England from that of Harold Godwinson onwards. From about 1200, near the abbey, the Palace of Westminster became the royal residence, marked by the transfer of royal treasury. Later the palace housed the developing Parliament and Englands law courts, thus London developed two focal points, the City of London and Westminster. The monarchs later moved to St James Palace and the Palace of Whitehall a little towards the north-east, the main law courts have since moved to the Royal Courts of Justice. The Westminster area formed part of the City and Liberty of Westminster in Middlesex, the ancient parish was St Margaret, after 1727 this became the civil parish of St Margaret and St John, the latter a new church required for the increasing population. The area around Westminster Abbey formed the extra-parochial Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter surrounded by —, until 1900 the local authority was the combined vestry of St Margaret and St John, which was based at Westminster City Hall in Caxton Street from 1883. The Liberty of Westminster, governed by the Westminster Court of Burgesses, also included St Martin in the Fields, Westminster had its own quarter sessions, but the Middlesex sessions also had jurisdiction

3.
London
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London /ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain and it was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. Londons ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1. 12-square-mile medieval boundaries. London is a global city in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism. It is crowned as the worlds largest financial centre and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world, London is a world cultural capital. It is the worlds most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the worlds largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic, London is the worlds leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city. Londons universities form the largest concentration of education institutes in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times, London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, Londons urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. The citys metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants, the city-region therefore has a similar land area and population to that of the New York metropolitan area. London was the worlds most populous city from around 1831 to 1925, Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Pauls Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world, the etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name, found in sources from the 2nd century and it is recorded c.121 as Londinium, which points to Romano-British origin, and hand-written Roman tablets recovered in the city originating from AD 65/70-80 include the word Londinio. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae and this had it that the name originated from a supposed King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. From 1898, it was accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos. The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the Latin form Londinium with the modern Welsh Llundain, which should demand a form *lōndinion, from earlier *loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the Welsh name was borrowed back in from English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from which to reconstruct the original name. Until 1889, the name London officially applied only to the City of London, two recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the London area

4.
Eton College
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Eton College /iːtən/ is an English independent boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor. It educates more than 1,300 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years and it was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor, making it the 18th oldest Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference school. Eton is one of the seven public schools as defined by the Public Schools Act 1868. Eton has educated 19 British prime ministers and generations of the aristocracy and has referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The school is headed by a Provost and Fellows, who appoint the Head Master and it contains 25 boys houses, each headed by a housemaster, selected from the more senior members of the teaching staff, which numbers some 155. Almost all of the pupils go on to universities, about a third of them to Oxford or Cambridge. The Head Master is a member of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, Eton has a long list of distinguished former pupils. David Cameron was the 19th British prime minister to have attended the school, about 20% of pupils at Eton receive financial support, through a range of bursaries and scholarships. In early 2014, this figure had risen to 263 pupils receiving the equivalent of around 60% of school fee assistance, Eton has been described as the most famous public school in the world, and been referred to as the chief nurse of Englands statesmen. The Good Schools Guide called the school the number one public school, adding that The teaching. The school is a member of the G20 Schools Group, Eton today is a larger school than it has been for much of its history. In 1678, there were 207 boys, in the late 18th century, there were about 300, while today, the total has risen to over 1,300. Eton College was founded by King Henry VI as a charity school to free education to 70 poor boys who would then go on to Kings College, Cambridge. Henry took Winchester College as his model, visiting on many occasions, borrowing its Statutes and removing its Headmaster, when Henry VI founded the school, he granted it a large number of endowments, including much valuable land. He persuaded the then Pope, Eugene IV, to grant him a privilege unparalleled anywhere in England, the school also came into possession of one of Englands Apocalypse manuscripts. Legend has it that Edwards mistress, Jane Shore, intervened on the schools behalf and she was able to save a good part of the school, although the royal bequest and the number of staff were much reduced. Construction of the chapel, originally intended to be slightly over twice as long, only the Quire of the intended building was completed. Etons first Headmaster, William Waynflete, founder of Magdalen College, Oxford and previously Head Master of Winchester College, as the school suffered reduced income while still under construction, the completion and further development of the school has since depended to some extent on wealthy benefactors

5.
University of Cambridge
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The University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research university in Cambridge, England, often regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Founded in 1209 and given royal status by King Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. The university grew out of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople, the two ancient universities share many common features and are often referred to jointly as Oxbridge. Cambridge is formed from a variety of institutions which include 31 constituent colleges, Cambridge University Press, a department of the university, is the worlds oldest publishing house and the second-largest university press in the world. The university also operates eight cultural and scientific museums, including the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridges libraries hold a total of around 15 million books, eight million of which are in Cambridge University Library, a legal deposit library. In the year ended 31 July 2015, the university had an income of £1.64 billion. The central university and colleges have an endowment of around £5.89 billion. The university is linked with the development of the high-tech business cluster known as Silicon Fen. It is a member of associations and forms part of the golden triangle of leading English universities and Cambridge University Health Partners. As of 2017, Cambridge is ranked the fourth best university by three ranking tables and no other institution in the world ranks in the top 10 for as many subjects. Cambridge is consistently ranked as the top university in the United Kingdom, the university has educated many notable alumni, including eminent mathematicians, scientists, politicians, lawyers, philosophers, writers, actors, and foreign Heads of State. Ninety-five Nobel laureates, fifteen British prime ministers and ten Fields medalists have been affiliated with Cambridge as students, faculty, by the late 12th century, the Cambridge region already had a scholarly and ecclesiastical reputation, due to monks from the nearby bishopric church of Ely. The University of Oxford went into suspension in protest, and most scholars moved to such as Paris, Reading. After the University of Oxford reformed several years later, enough remained in Cambridge to form the nucleus of the new university. A bull in 1233 from Pope Gregory IX gave graduates from Cambridge the right to teach everywhere in Christendom, the colleges at the University of Cambridge were originally an incidental feature of the system. No college is as old as the university itself, the colleges were endowed fellowships of scholars. There were also institutions without endowments, called hostels, the hostels were gradually absorbed by the colleges over the centuries, but they have left some indicators of their time, such as the name of Garret Hostel Lane. Hugh Balsham, Bishop of Ely, founded Peterhouse, Cambridges first college, the most recently established college is Robinson, built in the late 1970s

6.
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
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The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school in London, England. It is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, RADA is an affiliate school of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. Its higher education awards are validated by Kings College London and its students graduate alongside members of the departments which form the Kings Faculty of Arts & Humanities and it is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senate House complex of the University of London. Undergraduate students are eligible for government student loan through the Conservatoire for Dance, RADA also has a significant scholarships and bursaries scheme, offering financial assistance to many students at the Academy. The current director of the academy is Edward Kemp, the president is Sir Kenneth Branagh, the chairman is Sir Stephen Waley-Cohen and its vice-chairman was Alan Rickman until his death in 2016. RADA was founded in 1904 by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, an actor manager, in 1905, RADA moved to 52 Gower Street, and a managing council was set up to oversee the school. Its members included George Bernard Shaw, who donated his royalties from his play Pygmalion to RADA. In 1920, RADA was granted a Royal Charter, and in 1921, the Prince of Wales opened the theatre. The Gower Street buildings were torn down in 1927, and replaced with a new building, financed by George Bernard Shaw, in 1923, John Gielgud studied at RADA for a year. He later became President of the academy, and its first honorary fellow, a number of famous actors took on leading roles at RADA, such as Richard Attenborough, Oliver Neville, Nicholas Barter, and Alan Rickman. Other 1924 saw RADAs first government subsidy, a grant of £500, in 2001, RADA joined forces with the London Contemporary dance School to create the UKs first Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. The Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance joined this Conservatoire in 2005, in 2000 the Academy founded RADA Enterprises Ltd, which includes RADA in Business, providing training in communications and teambuilding that uses drama training techniques in a business context. The profits are fed back into the Academy to fund students training, RADA is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London. The main RADA building is on Gower Street, with a second premises nearby in Chenies Street, the Goodge Street and Euston Square underground stations are both within walking distance. RADA has five theatres and a cinema, there is also a 150-seat cinema. In January 2012, RADA acquired the lease to the adjacent Drill Hall venue in Chenies Street, the Drill Hall is a Grade II listed building with a long performing arts history, and was where Nijinsky rehearsed with Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes in 1911. This venue has a 200-seat space, the Studio Theatre, and a 50-seat space, the RADA library contains around 30,000 items. The collection was started in 1904 with donations from actors and writers of the such as Sir Squire Bancroft, William Archer, Arthur Wing Pinero

7.
West End theatre
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West End theatre is a common term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of Theatreland in and near the West End of London. Along with New York Citys Broadway theatre, West End theatre is considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. Seeing a West End show is a common tourist activity in London, in 2013, ticket sales reached a record 14.4 million, making West End the largest English speaking audience in the world. Famous screen actors frequently appear on the London stage, helen Mirren received an award for her performance as the Queen on the West End stage, and then stated, theatre is such an important part of British history and British culture. Theatre in London flourished after the English Reformation, the first permanent public playhouse, known simply as The Theatre, was constructed in 1576 in Shoreditch by James Burbage. It was soon joined by The Curtain, both are known to have been used by William Shakespeares company. In 1599, the timber from The Theatre was moved to Southwark and these theatres were closed in 1642 due to the Puritans who would later influence the interregnum of 1649. After the Restoration, two companies were licensed to perform, the Dukes Company and the Kings Company, performances were held in converted buildings, such as Lisles Tennis Court. The first West End theatre, known as Theatre Royal in Bridges Street, was designed by Thomas Killigrew and built on the site of the present Theatre Royal and it opened on 7 May 1663 and was destroyed by a fire nine years later. It was replaced by a new designed by Christopher Wren and renamed the Theatre Royal. Outside the West End, Sadlers Wells Theatre opened in Islington on 3 June 1683. Taking its name from founder Richard Sadler and monastic springs that were discovered on the property, it operated as a Musick House, with performances of opera, as it was not licensed for plays. In the West End, the Theatre Royal Haymarket opened on 29 December 1720 on a site north of its current location. The Patent theatre companies retained their duopoly on drama well into the 19th century, by the early 19th century, however, music hall entertainments became popular, and presenters found a loophole in the restrictions on non-patent theatres in the genre of melodrama. Melodrama did not break the Patent Acts, as it was accompanied by music, initially, these entertainments were presented in large halls, attached to public houses, but purpose-built theatres began to appear in the East End at Shoreditch and Whitechapel. The West End theatre district became established with the opening of small theatres and halls. South of the River Thames, the Old Vic, Waterloo Road, the next few decades saw the opening of many new theatres in the West End. It abbreviated its name three years later, the theatre building boom continued until about World War I

8.
Cymbeline
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Although listed as a tragedy in the First Folio, modern critics often classify Cymbeline as a romance or even a comedy. Like Othello and The Winters Tale, it deals with the themes of innocence, while the precise date of composition remains unknown, the play was certainly produced as early as 1611. Cymbeline, the Roman Empires vassal king of Britain, once had two sons, Guiderius and Arvirargus, but they were twenty years earlier as infants by an exiled traitor named Belarius. Cymbeline now discovers that his only child left, his daughter Imogen, has married her lover Posthumus Leonatus. The lovers have exchanged jewellery as tokens, Imogen now with a bracelet, Cymbeline dismisses the marriage and banishes Posthumus, since Imogen, as Cymbelines only child, must produce a fully royal-blooded heir to succeed to the British throne. In the meantime, Cymbelines Queen is conspiring to have Cloten, her cloddish and arrogant son by a marriage, married to Imogen. The Queen passes the poison along to Pisanio, Posthumus and Imogens loving servant, No longer able to be with her banished Posthumus, Imogen secludes herself in her chambers, away from Clotens aggressive advances. If Iachimo wins, he will get Posthumuss token ring, if Posthumus wins, not only must Iachimo pay him but also fight Posthumus in a duel with swords. Iachimo heads to Britain where he attempts to seduce the faithful Imogen. Iachimo then hides in a chest in Imogens bedchamber and, when the princess falls asleep and he also takes note of the room and Imogens partly naked body to be able to present false evidence to Posthumus that he has seduced his bride. Returning to Italy, Iachimo convinces Posthumus that he has successfully seduced Imogen, however, Pisanio refuses to kill Imogen and reveals to her Posthumuss plot. He has Imogen disguise herself as a boy and continue to Milford Haven to seek employment and he also gives her the Queens poison, believing it will alleviate her psychological distress. In the guise of a boy, Imogen adopts the name Fidele, meanwhile, Cloten learns of the meeting between Imogen and Posthumus at Milford Haven. Dressing himself enviously in Posthumuss clothes, he decides to go to Wales to kill Posthumus, and then rape, abduct and these two young men are in fact the British princes Guiderius and Arviragus, who themselves do not realise their own origin. The men discover Fidele, and instantly captivated by an affinity for him become fast friends. Outside the cave, Guiderius is met by Cloten, who throws insults, meanwhile, Imogens fragile state worsens and she takes the poison as a hopeful medicine, when the men re-enter, they find her dead. They mourn and, after placing Clotens body beside hers, briefly depart to prepare for the double burial, Imogen awakes to find the headless body, and believes it to be Posthumus due to the fact the body is wearing Posthumus clothes. The treacherous Queen is now wasting away due to the disappearance of her son Cloten, meanwhile, despairing of his life, a guilt-ridden Posthumus enlists in the Roman forces as they begin their invasion of Britain

9.
Othello
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Othello is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603. It is based on the story Un Capitano Moro by Cinthio, Roderigo is upset because he loves Desdemona and had asked her father for her hand in marriage. Iago hates Othello for promoting a younger man named Cassio above him, whom Iago considers less capable a soldier than himself, Iago convinces Roderigo to wake Brabantio and tell him about his daughters elopement. Meanwhile, Iago sneaks away to find Othello and warns him that Brabantio is coming for him. Brabantio, provoked by Roderigo, is enraged and will not rest until he has beheaded Othello, but he finds Othellos residence full of the Duke of Venices guards, who prevent violence. News has arrived in Venice that the Turks are going to attack Cyprus, Brabantio has no option but to accompany Othello to the Dukes residence, where he accuses Othello of seducing Desdemona by witchcraft. Othello defends himself before the Duke of Venice, Brabantios kinsmen Lodovico and Gratiano, Othello explains that Desdemona became enamoured of him for the sad and compelling stories he told of his life before Venice, not because of any witchcraft. Iago, still in the room, takes note of Brabantios remark, the party arrives in Cyprus to find that a storm has destroyed the Turkish fleet. Othello orders a celebration and leaves to consummate his marriage with Desdemona. In his absence, Iago gets Cassio drunk, and then persuades Roderigo to draw Cassio into a fight, Montano tries to calm an angry and drunk Cassio down, but end up fighting one another. Montano is injured in the fight, Othello reenters and questions the men as to what happened. Othello blames Cassio for the disturbance and strips him of his rank, Iago persuades Cassio to importune Desdemona to convince her husband to reinstate Cassio. Iago now persuades Othello to be suspicious of Cassio and Desdemona, when Desdemona drops a handkerchief, Emilia finds it, and gives it to her husband Iago, at his request, unaware of what he plans to do with it. Othello reenters and vows with Iago for the death of Desdemona and Cassio, after which he makes Iago his lieutenant. Act III, scene iii, is considered to be the point of the play as it is the scene in which Iago successfully sows the seeds of doubt in Othellos mind. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassios lodgings, then tells Othello to watch Cassios reactions while Iago questions him. Iago goads Cassio on to talk about his affair with Bianca, a local courtesan, later, Bianca accuses Cassio of giving her a second-hand gift which he had received from another lover. Othello sees this, and Iago convinces him that Cassio received the handkerchief from Desdemona, enraged and hurt, Othello resolves to kill his wife and asks Iago to kill Cassio

10.
Loki (comics)
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Loki is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the brother and often the enemy of Thor. He is based on the being of the name from Norse mythology. The character first appeared historically in Venus No.6 and in modern-day in Journey into Mystery No.85, the character was created by writer Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby. Though normally portrayed as a supervillain, he is depicted as an antihero. Loki has appeared in several ongoing series, limited series and alternate reality series and he appeared in the new issues of Young Avengers in 2013. He began appearing in his solo series Loki, Agent of Asgard in 2014, the character has also appeared in associated Marvel merchandise including animated television series, clothing, toys, video games, and movies. In 2009, Loki was ranked as IGNs 8th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time, Loki made his first Marvel Comics appearance in Timely Comics publication Venus No. 6, where Loki was depicted as a member of the Olympian gods exiled to the Underworld and he convinced Jupiter to let him into Earth as Venus was allowed onto it, planning to spread hate. Venus pledged herself to him to stop his plans, but Jupiter saw her act and freed her from the pledge. He made his first official Marvel appearance in Journey into Mystery No,85, where Loki was reintroduced as Thors sworn enemy. The modern age Loki was introduced by brothers and co-writers Stan Lee and Larry Lieber, as one of Thors arch-nemeses, Loki has frequently made appearances in Thor-related titles like Journey into Mystery and Thor, as well as other Marvel Universe titles such as The Avengers and X-Men. As well as appearances in the Spider-Man and Defenders comic series. He was the character in two four-issue miniseries Loki in 2004 and 2010. Loki played a key role in the 2010s company-wide Siege storyline, starting with issue No.622 the ongoing series Thor reverted to the original title Journey into Mystery and shifted focus to Loki. Under the pen of Kieron Gillen, Loki is resurrected but exists in a childs body and he remained the main character from 2011-2012, his final issue as lead being No.645. Gillen, joined by penciller Jamie McKelvie, continued his Loki storyline by introducing Loki, still as Kid Loki, as a character in the second Young Avengers. 11, he manipulated Wiccan into restoring him to a teenaged form, a Loki solo series called Loki, Agent of Asgard was announced for 2014

11.
Thor (film)
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Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film sees Thor, the prince of Asgard, banished to Earth. As his brother, Loki, plots to take the throne for himself, Thor must prove himself worthy, sam Raimi first developed the concept of a film adaptation of Thor in 1991, but soon abandoned the project, leaving it in development hell for several years. Matthew Vaughn was originally assigned to direct the film for a tentative 2010 release, however, after Vaughn was released from his holding deal in 2008, Branagh was approached and the films release was rescheduled into 2011. The main characters were cast in 2009, and principal photography took place in California, the film was converted to 3D in post-production. Thor premiered on April 17,2011, in Sydney, Australia and was released on May 6,2011, the film was a financial success and received positive reviews from film critics. The DVD and Blu-ray sets were released on September 13,2011, a sequel, Thor, The Dark World, was released on November 8,2013. A third film, Thor, Ragnarok is set to be released on November 3,2017. In 965 AD, Odin, king of Asgard, wages war against the Frost Giants of Jotunheim and their leader Laufey, to prevent them from conquering the nine realms, starting with Earth. The Asgardian warriors defeat the Frost Giants and seize the source of their power, in the present, Odins son Thor prepares to ascend to the throne of Asgard, but is interrupted when Frost Giants attempt to retrieve the Casket. Against Odins order, Thor travels to Jotunheim to confront Laufey, accompanied by his brother Loki, childhood friend Sif and the Warriors Three, Volstagg, Fandral, a battle ensues until Odin intervenes to save the Asgardians, destroying the fragile truce between the two races. Thor lands in New Mexico, where astrophysicist Dr. Jane Foster, her assistant Darcy Lewis, the local populace finds Mjolnir, which S. H. I. E. L. D. Agent Phil Coulson soon commandeers before forcibly acquiring Janes data about the wormhole that delivered Thor to Earth, Thor, having discovered Mjolnirs nearby location, seeks to retrieve it from the facility that S. H. I. E. L. D. Quickly constructed but he finds himself unable to lift it, and is captured, with Selvigs help, he is freed and resigns himself to exile on Earth as he develops a romance with Jane. Loki discovers that he is actually Laufeys son, adopted by Odin after the war ended, a weary Odin falls into the deep Odinsleep to recover his strength. Loki seizes the throne in Odins stead and offers Laufey the chance to kill Odin, aware of their plan, Loki sends the Destroyer, a seemingly indestructible automaton, to pursue them and kill Thor. The warriors find Thor, but the Destroyer attacks and defeats them, struck by the Destroyer and near death, Thors sacrifice proves him worthy to wield Mjolnir

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The Avengers (2012 film)
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In the film, Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S. H. I. E. L. D. Recruits Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor to form a team that must stop Thors brother Loki from subjugating Earth, the films development began when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch in April 2005. After the success of the film Iron Man in May 2008, with the signing of Johansson in March 2009, the film was pushed back for a 2012 release. Whedon was brought on board in April 2010 and rewrote the screenplay by Zak Penn. Production began in April 2011 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before moving to Cleveland, Ohio, in August, the film was converted to 3D in post-production. The Avengers premiered on April 11,2012, at Hollywoods El Capitan Theatre and was released theatrically in the United States on May 4,2012. The film received reviews from critics, as well as numerous awards and nominations including Academy Award. It has set or tied numerous box office records, including the biggest opening weekend in North America, the Avengers grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide, and became the third-highest-grossing film during its theatrical run—as well as the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales. The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on September 25,2012, the Asgardian Loki encounters the Other, the leader of an extraterrestrial race known as the Chitauri. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract,2 a powerful source of unknown potential. Agent Phil Coulson explains that the object has begun radiating an unusual form of energy, the Tesseract suddenly activates and opens a wormhole, allowing Loki to reach Earth. Loki takes the Tesseract and uses his scepter to enslave Selvig, in response to the attack, Fury reactivates the Avengers Initiative. Agent Natasha Romanoff is sent to Calcutta to recruit Dr. Bruce Banner to trace the Tesseract through its gamma radiation emissions, Coulson visits Tony Stark to have him review Selvigs research, and Fury approaches Steve Rogers with an assignment to retrieve the Tesseract. While Loki is being escorted to S. H. I. E. L. D, Thor, his adoptive brother, arrives and frees him, hoping to convince him to abandon his plan and return to Asgard. After a confrontation with Stark and Rogers, Thor agrees to take Loki to S. H. I. E. L. D. s flying aircraft carrier, there Loki is imprisoned while Banner and Stark attempt to locate the Tesseract. The Avengers become divided, both over how to approach Loki and the revelation that S. H. I. E. L. D, plans to harness the Tesseract to develop weapons as a deterrent against hostile extraterrestrials. As the group argues, Barton and Lokis other possessed agents attack the Helicarrier, disabling its engines in flight, Stark and Rogers try to restart the damaged engine, and Thor attempts to stop the Hulks rampage. Romanoff fights Barton, and knocks him unconscious, breaking Lokis mind control, Loki escapes after killing Coulson and ejecting Thor from the airship, while the Hulk falls to the ground after attacking a S. H. I. E. L. D